Veggie Burger
by avearia
Summary: The flirting started out as a joke. - Veggie Burger (Sam x Tucker), Oneshot.


_Reposting this here from Tumblr, because this ship could use some love. As usual, link to the original is on my profile._

 _Enjoy!_

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 **Veggie Burger**

The flirting started out as a joke.

Everyone knew that Sam only had eyes for Danny, and Tucker had eyes for every girl BUT Sam. Thus, their overly-friendly banter and their ludicrous one-liners were nothing short of hilarious.

"C'mon, you know you want a taste of this," Tucker would say, and pucker up.

"I'd rather eat Bambi's mother," she'd smirk and push him away.

"What a coincidence, I had that this morning. Maybe you can still taste it on my lips. Go on, try it."

"Well, maybe YOU want a taste of the mango salsa and soy-chips I just finished. Is that why you're trying so hard, handsome?" Sam would pucker for him. "You know all you have to do is ask. I'd be happy to oblige."

Tucker shuddered at the thought of soy-anything, and usually would back down.

Sometimes, though, when no one else was looking, he wouldn't. And neither would she. Both were fond of their little joke, so things went unquestioned for quite some time. Fake flirting turned into fake kisses, fake kisses into fake-out-make-outs. No one was keeping track.

Until Tucker landed himself in the hospital.

After a ghost patrol gone awry, everyone was worried sick. Jazz because she was a worrier, Danny because he felt guilty, Sam because - because of something else.

Even after the doctors declared he'd make it through, Sam couldn't settle the churning worry in the pit of her stomach. It was absurd, really. She'd gone over this scenario in her mind before. Injuries, even casualties, were a potential risk of ghost hunting that they were all willing to take. Still, she felt… uneasy. And it took her several hours at Tucker's bedside to figure out why.

At last, she ventured out of the hospital, down to the Nasty Burger, purchased his usual, and brought it back.

When Tucker woke in a groggy panic - "Hospital. I'm in a hospital. Hos. Pit. Al. Fffffffu—" she was ready.

She waved the bag over his head, letting the scent waft down to him. His nostrils flared, detecting the "delicious" scent among the sterile hospital smells, and his attention immediately shifted. "…Is that a Triple Bacon Cheeseburger?"

"…Maybe," Sam answered, grin twitching the corner of her mouth.

He stared at it for a long moment before making a snatch at the bag. Thanks to his injuries and sleepiness, Sam was able to easily keep it out of reach. "Ah ah ahh," she scolded.

"What."

"The doctors have you on a liquid diet. You know. Soups. Smoothies. Ice cream if you're lucky. Don't want an upset stomach, do we?"

He blinked. "…You—Did you buy that **just** to tantalize me?" he asked, appalled.

"Distract," she corrected. "To keep your mind off… all this." she motioned to the whitewashed hospital walls.

He stared at the Nasty Burger bag for a moment, then back at her, for a long time. "…You cruel, cruel woman," he said at last. "Effective. But **cruel**."

Sam uncurled the bag and sniffed the contents, her mouth twisting in feigned indecision. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you have a taste," she teased, pulling out the burger. She sent him a sly glance. "Of course, the grease could make you even sicker, and then you'd be in here longer…"

Tucker broke his lustful gaze at the burger and winced. "Ugh. You're right. Maybe not."

The paper crinkled as Sam unwrapped it. Delicately, she picked up the sandwitch, eyeing it with mild disdain and vague curiosity. Then, keeping eye contact with Tucker, she took the smallest possible nibble off of the meat.

"…Sam?" Tucker asked. "What're you…"

Sam slowly chewed the morsel, rolling it between her teeth as she taste tested it. Finally, she crinkled her nose. "This tastes disgusting." she said. "How do you even manage to eat this."

Tucker forced himself not to grin as she forced herself to swallow, grimacing. She smacked her lips unpleasantly and set the hamburger aside on the bedside table, shuddering a bit as she did so. When she finally looked at him, he'd managed to school the smirk off his face, only to find her looking at him with very meaningful eyes. "So?" she asked.

"…Huh?"

"You don't want a taste?" she asked, puckering her lips.

"Are you serious?" Tucker asked. In reply, Sam simply looked at him in that manner only she could pull off. It wasn't every day Sam would offer to eat meat, much less for him, and quite frankly he wasn't going to pass this up. He pulled himself upright and leaned in for a kiss, expecting her to pull away after only a quick peck.

She didn't. And after a long, passionate kiss, both were forced to admit that they'd long since passed the fake-out make-out stage.

They pulled apart, each of them blushing slightly in embarrassment and awkwardness. Tucker smiled to himself and laughed. "Ah, I can still taste the bacon," he joked, and Sam made a face and shook her head with a laugh.

"So… so you're okay with this?" Sam asked finally, her voice halting and quiet. "With… us?"

Tucker reached for his glasses and slid them back on his nose slowly, thinking. Sam wasn't often open with her feelings, so this was her version of a confession, he supposed. "Yeah," he said, finally. "If you are okay with it, that is. Just - one thing, though…"

Sam looked up, her violet eyes uncertain. She was probably expecting a question about her attraction to Danny, or whether or not their polar-opposite nature would even work in a relationship. Instead, Tucker just smiled.

"Don't bother eating any more meat for me. I think I like the taste of soy and mangoes on you better."


End file.
